Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-26

|
Venice than they had originally planned do,
solely for the purpose OF enjoying the excel
lent accommodation offered TO them by the
new hotel awe have met with nothing like it
in Italy, they said; "you may rely on our re-
commencing you to all our friends"
On the day when Number Fourteen was
again vacant an English lady, travelling
alone with her maid, arrived at the hotel,
saw the room, and at once engaged it. |
The lady was Mrs. Norbury. She had left
Francis Westwick at Milan, occupied in neo-
gotiating for the appearance at his theatre of
the new dancer at the Scala. Not having |
heard 10 the contrary, Mrs. Norbury sup
posed that Arthur Barville and his wife had
arrived at Venice. She was more interested |
in meeting the young married couple than in |
waiting the result of the hard bargaining |
which delayed the engagement of the new |
dancer; and she volunteered to make her |
brothers apologies if his theatrical business
caused him to be late i'll keeping his appoint |
ment at the honeymoon festival /
Mrs. Norbury's experience OF Number |
Fourteen differed entirely from her brother
Henry's experience of the room. i
Falling asleep as readily as usual, her re-
pose was disturbed by a succession of fright
ful dreams; the central figure in every one Of
them being the figure of her dead brother,
the first Lord Montbarry. She saw him
starving in a loathsome prison; she saw him
pursued by assassins and dying under their
knives; she saw him drowning in immeasur-
able depths of dark water; she saw him in
bed OF fire, burning TO death III the flames;
she saw him tempted by shadowy creature
to drink, and dying of the poisonous draught,
The reiterated horror of these dreams had
such an effect on her that she rose with the
dawn of day, afraid to trust herself again in
bed. In the old times she had been noted in
the family as the one member OF it who lived
on affectionase terms with Montbai1y His
other sister and his brothers were constantly
quarrelng with him Even his mother owned
that her eldest son was, of all her children,
the child whom she least liked Sensible and
resolute woman as she was, Mrs. Norbury
shuddered with terror as she sat at the win
dow of her room watching the sunrise and
thinking of her dreams.
She made the first excuse that occurred to
her when her maid came in at the usual hour
and noticed how ill she looked. The woman
was of so superstitious temperament that it
would have been i'll the last degree indiscreet
| to trust her with the truth. Mrs. Norbury
merely remarked that she had not found the
bed quite to her liking on account of the
| large size of it. She was accustomed ut home,
| as her maid knew, to sleep in small bed
Informed of this objection later i'll tine DAY,
the manager regretted that he could only
| offer the lady the choice of one other bed
chamber, numbered Thirty eight, and STU
ated Immediately over the bedchamber
| H. i,
accepted the proposed change of quarters
She was now about to pass her second night
| in the room occupied in the old days of the
palace by Baron Riyar.
Once more she fell asleep as usual And
once more the frightful dreams of the first
night terrified her, following each other in
the same succession. This time her nerves,
already shaken, were not equal to the re-
newed torture of terror inflicted on them.
She threw on her dressing gown and rushed
out of her room i'll the middle of the night.
The porter, alarmed by the banging of the
door, met her hurrying headlong down the
stairs in search of the first human being she
could find to keep her company. Consider
ably surprised at this last manifestation of
the famous English eccentricity,n the man
looked at the hotel register and led the lady
upstairs again to the room occupied by her
maid. The maid was not asleep, and more
wonderful still. WIS not even undressed. She
received her mistress quietly When they
were alone, and when Mrs. Norbury had, as
matter of necessity, taken her attendant
into her confidence, the woman made 9 very
strange reply.
1 Il have been asking about the hotel at th,
servants supper tonight she said. 9Th
valet of one of the gentlemen staying her,
has heard that the late Lord Montbarry wa
the last person who lived in the palace befor
il was made into hotel The room he die,
in, ma'am, was the room you slept in las
night. Your room tonight is the room jus
!. above it. l said nothing for fear of fright
ening you. For my own part, have passeC
the night as you see, keeping my light in an
reading my Bible. In my opinion, no mem
Der of your family can hope to be happy o
comfortable in this house,
What do you peanf
please to let me explain myself, ma'au
When Mr.. Henry Westwick was here-I hav
this from the valet, too-he occupied the ROOF
his brother died in without knowing it-lik
you For two nights he never closed his eye
; Without any reason for 1.-THE valet hear
him tell the gentlemen in the coffee Foom-l
could not sleep: he felt so low and so wretch
:. in himself. And, what is more, when day
time came, he couldn't even eat while he WE
: under this roof. You may laugh at LII
maam--but even a servant may draw he
: own conclusions. It's my conclusion ths
: something happened TO my lord, which "
none of us know about, when he died in tn
house. His ghost walks in torment until /
can tell i'll The living persons related to hi
are the persons who feel he is near them-tf
persons who may yet see him in the time
come. Don't, pray don't stay any longer
:, this dread ,ul placel wouldn't stay anotht
i night here myself-no, not for anythir
u that could be offered meiH
Mrs. Norbury at once set her servant
mind at ease on this last point.
I. Il don't think about it as you do, she saic
j gravely. But should like to speak to II
brother of what has happened We will {
back to Milan"
: Some hours necessarily elapsed before tht
could leave the hotel by the first train in Il
u forenoon.
6 In that interval Mrs. Norbury's ma
found an opportunity of contidentially i
10 forming the valet of what had passed b
h tween her mistress and herself The val
le had other friends, to whom he related Il
circumstances in his turn. In due course
h time the narrative, passing from me nth
he mouth, reached the ears Of the manager T
1t instantly saw the credit of the hotel was
lie danger unless something YVES done to retire
N the character of the room numbered Fourtee
TX English travellers, well acquainted with t
D. peerage OF their native country, informed hi
Ii that Henry Westwick and Mrs. NorDury we
j. by no means the only members of the MOI
re barry family. Curiosity might bring mo
of them to the hotel after hearing what b.
lie happened. The managers ingenuity easi
ne hit on the obvious means of misleading the
H. in this case The numbers of all the ROOF
1t were enameed in blue on white china plat.
I'd screwed to the doors He ordered a n,
It. plate to be prepared, bearing the numb
lis "13A, +" and he kept the room empty, after
tenant for the time being bad gone awe
eel until the plate was ready. He then renu
in bered the room, placing the removed Numt
DIS Fourteen on the door Of his own room ION {
he second floor which, not being to let, had L
US previously been numbered at all By this
at vice Eumber Fourteen disappeared at or
IT. and forever from the books of the hotel
to the number Of bedroom to let.
rs Having warned the servants to beware
rs gossiping with travellers on the subject of I
to changed numbers, under penalty of bel
he dismissed, the manager composed his mi
to with the reflection that be had done his du
=, l al "